The subject matter disclosed herein relates to gas turbine inlet chilling systems and methods for use, for example, in power generation systems.
Many applications, such as power plants, utilize gas turbines to generate power and/or drive a load. Accordingly, the gas turbine typically includes a variety of components that cooperatively operate to produce the generated power. For example, certain gas turbines include one or more compressors that are utilized in one or more stages of compression to reduce the volume and increase the pressure of the gas flowing therethrough. Use of such compressors may lead to the generation of heat byproducts that may reduce the efficiency of the overall power production process. Accordingly, some gas turbine systems have been modified to include one or more intercoolers that are operated between the stages of compression, thus increasing the power and efficiency of the overall process.
In certain systems, the intercooler may be located external to the gas turbine system, and, accordingly, the gas may be routed from the first stage of compression, through an external heat exchanger, and back into the gas turbine system before entering the next stage of compression. Unfortunately, such a configuration may lead to power losses that result from directing the high velocity gas from the gas turbine and through the external heat exchanger. In an attempt to overcome this drawback, certain systems have included an intercooler in line with the compressors within the gas turbine system. However, this configuration may be associated with a variety of drawbacks, such as the generation of condensation in the high velocity gas flow path, which may affect downstream components of the power generation system. Accordingly, there exists a need for improved gas turbine systems that address one or more of these drawbacks.